Fabrication of Korean Skull Model

Youn, Kwan Hyun; Hu, Kyung Seok; Song, Wu Chul; Koh, Ki Seok; Kim, Hee Jin

Abstract

Anatomy education using skull models has been widely performed for a long time and known that it is actually much convenient and economical. However, until now, most of skull models used in anatomy class are imported from the United State or Europe. Therefore, the models showed characteristics of Caucasian skulls, and had several differences from skulls of Koreans. Hence, we made a specific replica model of skull which have various Korean characteristics. We used Korean male skull (aged 50 years) without defect due to diseases or fractures. The silicon was poured over the skull in the cubic frame and hardened. We took out the skull from the silicon frame and poured the resin into the frame to duplicate the original skull. After defoamation and hardening the resin, the skull model was taken out of frame. And we modified defects which occurred during duplicated process and made detailed structures which unrevealed in real skull. After completion of the skull model, we measured ten items of anthropological characteristics of the Korean and American skull models and compared 9 categories of index. As a result, there were significant differences in length-breadth index, length-height index, frontozygomatic index, nasal index between the Korean and American skull models; As aforementioned, the skull model, compared to Caucasian skull models, had numerous distinctive Korean skull features and this model can be used for anatomy education in South Korea.